Jan.-Mar. 2001                                   Volume 22   Number 1

Letter from the Chair

Well, spring may be here technically, but for those of us in Montana, all we have seen for the past three days is snow! Please release us from the winter season. Luckily, I did see some pansies last month when the PNC Board met in Portland.

One of the advantages of accepting the responsibility of being Chair is that one gets to direct, to a certain extent, issues dear to the heart. I am a nuts and bolts sort of librarian, more attentive to the small improvement rather than the broad plan. As such, I see ILL as still at the heart of the service many of us provide, and I think we can make some incremental improvements in this basic and integral part of our service. My pet project for this year is to begin an initiative to promote more use of electronic document delivery in our region. I am please to announce that Susan Barnes (with the help of Cathy Burroughs) has agreed to chair the Automation/Technology Committee with the following charge:

"How do we increase our use of electronic document delivery in our region"? This might include exploring:

• Who is now delivering documents electronically? Additional charges?
• What have been the technical barriers? How have they been overcome?
• What products have people used?
• How has this affected the work process?
• What are the copyright issues?

The results of their exploration may be:

• A series of articles in Northwest Notes
• A Website of practical information -- basic terminology, product information, hardware and software considerations, resource people, etc.
• A class at a future PNC conference
• Recommendations to RML for education or demonstration projects

I am very excited about this effort and hope you will contact Susan, Cathy or me if you have some insight to share or if you are interested in contributing to this project. And thank you Susan and Cathy for agreeing to serve!

Please remember to mark your calendars for the fall conference to be held on the Oregon Coast at Salishan Lodge in Gleneden Beach, Oregon, September 10-14. More detail of the conference will be published in the next newsletter. And if you are a detail person that plans way in advance, Diane Helmer and the folks from Vancouver will be hosting us for the 2002 conference at the Coast Plaza Suite Hotel in Vancouver by Stanley Park and English Bay October 19-22, 2002.

Have a lovely spring and do plan on joining us all in September in Oregon!

JCB

Alaska

submitted 4-12-01 by Anne Girling

The Anchorage Medical Librarians Group, an unofficial organization of Medical Librarians working in Anchorage, has banded together to provide Anchorage area healthcare practitioners with a weekly series of six one-hour classes titled: Computer-based Medical Information Resources.

The six classes, begun April 6th at the Alaska Native Medical Center, cover: Introduction to Computer-based Information Resources, PubMed, OVID, Consumer Health, Advanced Internet Searching, and MD Consult / STAT!ref / Nursing on CD. The instructors are: Anne Girling, Alaska Native Medical Center; Donna Hudson, Elmendorf Air Force Base; Loretta Andress, University of Alaska Anchorage; Marcia Colson, Anchorage Municipal Libraries; and Kathy Murray, University of Alaska Anchorage.

Class registration has been better than anticipated with each class being filled to capacity prior to the first class.

This is a trial series for the Anchorage group; if the classes are well received, they will be repeated later in the year.

Idaho

submitted 1-29-01 by Kathy Nelson EIRMC Library

Joan Hust from Kootenia Medical Center, Coeur d'Alene Idaho was in Guatemala February 2001. She was there last June, and recognized the need for libraries. The picture is from last June when she was walking up one of three very steep mountains.

 

Joan reports "I was most fortunate that all the twelve crates that I took on the plane with me arrived, with the books and school supplies in good condition. I was able to set up three mini- Libraries for the K'ekchi Orphan Schools.

Getting from one place to another was by foot, dug-out boats, a dilapidated vegetable truck, and the church van. I came home with walking pneumonia so it is taking a little while to get over it."

 

Attached is the photo of Joan getting a bit of help to cross one mountain!

 

 

 

submitted 4-12-01 by Kathy Nelson

Nancy Griffin, of Idaho State University, attended the program "The Public Library and Consumer Health". One of the sessions she attended was presented by PNC member Michele Spatz. "Planning and Managing the Consumer Health Library." Nancy shared on the Idaho Libray Listserv "LIBIDAHO" what she learned and gave specific instructions for the public library members of that listserv on how to develop their own consumer health information for their community. She included links to credible health information and to Health on the Net Foundation http://www.hon.ch/ and Consumer Health Bibliography for the Small Public Library http://caphis.njc.org/ConsHealthBib.html

Nancy reported to the Idaho Librarians how the ISU Health Sciences Library has been reaching out to the community in Pocatello. The University sponsors a health fair on campus each year, This year the Health Sciences Library took a booth and invited people to use a laptop to search the Internet for health information. Nancy has also been teaching in various communities in Southeast Idaho how to use Medline Plus and other sources at the local library or hospital.

The Idaho Health Sciences Library is a great resource for consumers as well as professionals in Idaho.

Oregon

originally submitted 4-3-01 to hlib-nw by Diane Carroll

The OHSU Library will install a new library automation system this year! The Library has contracted with Innovative Interfaces, Inc., to purchase its Millennium product, a comprehensive library automation system that will replace the Library's current system this Fall. A $312,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), administered by the Oregon State Library, will provide the financial support needed to add the Library's book, journal and multimedia holdings to this new system.

As a result of the new functionality of this system, the Library has been invited to join Orbis, a consortium of college and university libraries in the Pacific Northwest. Orbis Borrowing, a patron-initiated borrowing service, will allow OHSU faculty, staff, and students to borrow materials from any member library of the ORBIS consortium -- providing access to a collection of over 7 million books, journals and multimedia, with delivery of materials within 48 hours.

Carrie Willman

Sara Piasecki began her one-year, LSTA grant supported, appointment as Cataloger and assistant Systems Librarian in early February. Sara received her Masters of Library Science from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1994 and her BA from Reed College in 1992. She previously worked at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library as their chief
cataloger. Sara will catalog new materials and oversee some of the library's electronic resources, allowing other cataloging and systems staff to plan and carry out the migration to the Millennium system described above.

Janet Crum

originally submitted 4-11-01 to hlib-nw by Diane Carroll

The OHSU Library system consists of the Main Library located in the BICC Building on the Portland Campus and several other libraries located either on the Portland or West Campus. An update of name changes and new affiliations are listed below:

The Isabel McDonald Library located at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center on the West Campus is now affiliated with OHSU
http://www.ohsu.edu/library/isabel.shtml

Dental Branch Library's new name is Van Hassel Library http://www.ohsu.edu/library/dental.shtml

CDRC Branch Library's new name is CDRC Library
http://www.ohsu.edu/library/cdrc.shtml

Washington

submitted 4-13-01 by Lisa Oberg

• Susan Barnes and Pamela Murray coordinated a panel discussion/CE course entitled "Wondering What to do About Electronic Journals?" Panelists included Lynn Fortney of EBSCO, Patty Ayala of the WA State Library, Dolores Judkins, Patrice O'Donovan, Susan Klawansky, Cheryl Goodwin, and Cindy Cunningham.
  
  
• Marilyn Darr, M.D., Associate Director, Family Medicine of Southwest Washington Medical Center, spoke on Women's Health Issues. She gave a wonderful presentation, very thoughtful and well-organized and clearly knowledgeable of this diverse subject.
  
  
• Michelynn McKnight, AHIP, Norman (OK) Regional Hospital Health Sciences Library, presented "Proving Your Worth" a four-hour MLA accredited course on developing professional, business and political tools to excel in an economically driven environment.
  
  
• Two travel scholarships were awarded to first time attendees. The recipients were Meg Wood of the UW's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute and Melanie Jones of Kittitas Valley Community Hospital.

...and Patsy Bacon added a few comments:

The combined attendance was 53.

Comments from attendees was that they enjoyed having a joint Washington/Oregon meeting
and thought we should do it again.

 

Salishan, Oregon

 

September 9-13, 2001

Beverly Schriver, Program Chair. Planning Committee members include Peggy Baldwin, Madelyn Hall, Judith Hayes, Cathy Jordan, Dolores Judkins, Val Lawrence, Kathy Martin, and Daphne Plaut.

 

 

submitted by Beverly Schriver, Program Chair 3/20/01

2001 Hal-Unplugged: a PNC/MLA Odyssey

 

When and where:

Sept. 9-13, 2001 at Salishan Lodge, Gleneden Beach, Oregon.

A beautiful spot in which to become refreshed and recharged.

 

 

 

CE offered:

• Sept. 9--half-day with Jay Daly on "QuickDoc."
• Sept 10 all day with Mary Devlin "Words that Change Minds"
• Learning to understand people differently through understanding neurolinguistic programing.
• More CE for Sept 10 &11 will be announced as speakers and topics are finalized.

 

 

Speakers:

• Key Note speaker is Roy Tennant
• Dr. Jan Stafl will speak on Holistic Medicine
• Jan Buhman R.N. M.S presents Web-based training
• Peggy Baldwin will share her enthusiasm and insights into PDA's
• Susan Barnes on Docline and Locator Plus
• Round Table lunch discussions on PubMed; ARIEL & Prospero; PDA's; Web Development; and Reference Manager.
  
  
  

 

The food will be sumptuous and there will be time for long walks on the
beach or a trip to the Newport Aquarium. See you ALL there !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vancouver, B.C.

October 19-22, 2002

Diane Helmer, Program Chair

 

Seattle area in 2003 [tentative]

originally submitted to hlib-nw 4-12-01 by Robin Braun

Quick [4 question] MLA Benchmarking Survey for PNC Chapter Members

 

MLA will be working on the Benchmarking Network at MLA 2001 in Orlando. They would like some feedback from members before then. If you are a member/potential member of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of MLA, please take a minute to answer these 4 questions and reply to me directly. I'm the Benchmarking Chapter Educator for the Pacific Northwest and will be happy to answer/try to answer/...or find the answers to your MLA Benchmarking
questions. Thanks!

 

1. Did you take part in MLA Benchmarking Beta test? Yes_____ No_____

 

2. If no, why not? (Check ALL that apply)

___ Didn't know about the Benchmarking Network or the Beta test.
___ Wasn't an MLA member (couldn't access the restricted area on website).
___ Wasn't an MLA institutional member and didn't feel welcome to take part.
___ Didn't have time.
___ Didn't have/couldn't get data that was requested on survey.
___ Started, but gave up as too frustrating/confusing.
___ Don't think that statistical/benchmarking information is important.
___ Don't see how I can use the statistical/benchmarking information at work.
___ Other: Please specify_______________________________________________

_____________________________________________

 

 

3. If yes, why? (Check ALL that apply)

___ Want to use the statistical/benchmarking data in the future at work.
___ Want to ensure adequate sample of my type of library for benchmarking.
___ Want to contribute to the profession.
___ Want to learn from the questions how to construct my own survey.
___ Other: Please specify_______________________________________________

_____________________________________________

 

 

4. Have you taken part in any benchmarking project in the last 3 years?

Yes _____ No _____

 

Comments:

 

 

 

 

 

Robin E. Braun, MLS, AHIP mailto: BraunR@empirehealth.org
Medical Library
Empire Health Services
PO Box 248
Spokane, WA 99210-0248
509-473-7342; Fax 509-473-7790

 

Edupage 4-11-01

Houston's University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center went online recently with a Web-based patient management system in an effort to standardize healthcare throughout the Center's facilities. Center IT employees contracted with iKnowMed to create a series of linked disease management sites. Patient information is entered online, and then a list describing treatment options based on different levels of diseases is provided. One physician was assigned to interpret clinical details and explanations unfamiliar to IT employees as the Web pages were constructed. The Web site was officially launched from the MD Anderson Orlando facility in 1999 and is accessible through a T1 link to the Houston server. MD Anderson plans to construct similar Web sites for other diseases, eventually integrating them into an electronic medical file, and also to build separate electronic data banks for research and reporting.
(Health Data Management, April 11, 2001)

There was a tradesman, a painter called Jock, who was very interested in making a penny where
he could, so he often would thin down paint to make it go a wee bit further.

As it happened, he got away with this for some time, but eventually a diocese decided to do a
big restoration job on the painting of one of their biggest churches.

Jock put in a bid and, because his price was so low, he got the job.

And so he set to erecting the trestles and setting up the planks, and buying the paint and, yes, I am sorry to say, thinning it down with the turpentine.

Well, Jock was up on the scaffolding, painting away, the job nearly completed when, suddenly,
there was a horrendous clap of thunder, and the sky opened, the rain poured down, washing the
thinned paint from all over the church and knocking Jock clear off the scaffold to land on the lawn, among the gravestones, surrounded by tell-tale puddles of the thinned and useless
paint.

Jock was no fool. He knew this was a judgment from the Almighty, so he got on his knees and
cried: "O God! Forgive me! What should I do?"

And from the thunder, a mighty voice spoke....

(You're gonna love this)

"Repaint! Repaint! And thin no more!"

To join the Pacific Northwest Chapter, send dues to:

Nola Higley                            
PNC/MLA Treasurer
Magic Valley Reg. Med. Ctr.--Medical Library
PO Box 409
Twin Falls, ID 83303-0409

Dues:  $25.00 U.S. or $28.00 Canadian

MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO:  PNC/MLA

Your Name:____________________________________

Address:  _____________________________________

_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________
      (You may use home or work address)

Email:  _____________________________

Circle one:  Renewal    New Member

Northwest Notes is published four times per year by the Pacific Northwest Chapter, Medical Library Association: Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Kathy Murray, Editor
University of Alaska Anchorage
Consortium Library
Health Sciences Information Service
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
907.786.1611
F: 907.786.1608

Statements and opinions expressed in the newsletter do not necessarily represent the official position of the Chapter or the Editor.

News and articles are welcome! Please include your name, library, address, phone and fax number, and email address (if available). The editor reserves the right to edit submissions as necessary.

Articles from Northwest Notes may be reprinted without permission; credit would be appreciated.